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Hospitals to get SARS compensation
REVENUE DROP:
Many people are avoiding medical institutions known to be treating SARS cases, causing huge drops in their outpatient numbers and income
By Melody Chen
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Apr 10, 2003, Page 2
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A salesman for 3M demonstrates how face masks should be worn at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The company said sales of its masks nationwide last month was five times the monthly average last year due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. 3M expects this month's sales to soar up to 10 times last year's average.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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The Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday it would compensate the losses of hospitals that have been treating patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Deputy Director-General Lee Lung-teng (§õÀsÄË) said the hospitals will be receiving compensations from three sources -- the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI), the department's medical network and the Executive Yuan's second preparatory budget.
Lee the numbers of outpatients in hospitals treating SARS cases have dropped drastically.
So far more than 10 hospitals have received SARS patients, he said.
The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital are the two hardest-hit hospitals, Lee said.
"The NTUH complained its SARS cases have scared away outpatients. The number of outpatients has consequently dropped by 30 to 40 percent and the hospital has lost NT$70 million to NT$80 million," Lee said.
According to Lee, the number of outpatients at the Kaohsiung hospital has also been reduced by 10 to 20 percent.
Lee both hospitals deserve praise for their accommodation and treatment of SARS cases.
"This is why the department has decided to give the hospitals compensation greater than their losses," Lee said.
For example, he said, if a hospital has lost NT$1 million due to its SARS cases, the BNHI will give the hospital more than NT$1 million in compensation.
Lee the health department still could not calculate how much compensation it will be giving to hospitals treating SARS patients.
The earliest numbers on compensation won't be available until June, he said, adding, "the department has not set an upper ceiling for compensation."
The compensation measures will be applicable to hospitals only for the period from last month to next month, Lee said.
He also expressed concern that other hospitals may complain about the health department taking a huge amount from the BNHI as compensations for hospitals with SARS patients.
"Therefore, the department has planned two other compensation sources in case the BNHI cannot afford to make up the hospitals' losses," he said.
Lee withdrawing funds from the BNHI would not affect other hospitals' rights.
"The BNHI's income has actually increased because it has been paying less to the hospitals with SARS cases owing to the reduction in the number of outpatients," he said.
Regarding by some hospitals that they would not accept suspected SARS cases, Lee said it is up to the local health departments to decide whether to punish the hospitals.
However, he said that rejecting a SARS patients would be breaking the Medical Treatment Law (ÂåÀøªk) and local health departments could order hospitals that do so to shut down.
According to the DOH, 134 SARS cases had been reported by yesterday afternoon, including three new probable cases, bringing the number of probable cases to 23.
There are 27 suspected cases of SARS while another 61 people were found not to have the syndrome.
Twenty-three are to be verified as to whether they are SARS cases.
The DOH announced that as of yesterday, local health departments have issued 1,214 domestic quarantine notices, while 890 people have been released from house confinement.
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